(Newser)
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Democrats made a last-minute push to get an up-and-down vote on the Senate’s payroll tax bill this morning, only to have Republicans ignore them—and apparently even cut the C-SPAN feed. As Steny Hoyer called for the vote, speaker pro-tem Michael Fitzpatrick walked away. Hoyer kept yelling, and was about to hand off to Chris Van Hollen, when CSPAN’s sound and cameras cut off, ThinkProgress reports. C-SPAN tweeted afterward to say that it doesn’t control those cameras—“the Speaker of the House does.”

Still, never let it be said the House didn’t accomplish anything this week. Last night, John Boehner got through a measure commissioning a new bust of Winston Churchill, to replace one that Barack Obama returned to the British Embassy in 2009. ThinkProgress sees it as a “frivolous” gesture, while Gawker sees it as “the climax of a nearly three-year right-wing crusade against Barack Obama,” who they believe chucked the bust “in a fit of uppity anti-colonial rage.” But Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post thinks Boehner should be commended for reaching out to a critical ally. “Presidents come and go,” she points out.

Where's the "this is damned infuriating" button??? I am not a killing kind of person. I'm more of a praying kind of person. Dear God, save our country, hit Boehner with a bus driven by a temporarily blinded Boehner loving Republican. - Thank you, an American, a registered voter, a hard worker, and member of the 99%.

ExceleRater

Dec 22, 2011 7:24 AM CST

The following is from a post on another website. I have not had time to verify line-by-line its accuracy. But if this is accurate, then the Senate bill is a piece of crap compared with the House bill. But you will NEVER hear this in the mainstream media. "More lies by CNN. Here are the facts: (from a Congressman). Take a look at the last point. -The House bill keeps everyone’s payroll taxes stable for one year. The Senate bill allows everyone’s taxes to go up in two months. -The House bill requires people who get an unemployment check to prove they are looking for work or completing a GED or college degree. The Senate took this out. -The House bill allows states to require you to submit to a drug test to receive unemployment benefits. The Senate took this out. -The House bill permits business owners to immediately expense 100 percent of new investments, dollar-for-dollar, in the current year tax return. The Senate took this out. -The House bill protects American industrial boiler manufacturers from being shut down by unachievable Obama EPA restrictions. The Senate took this out. -The House bill stops welfare recipients from using their Lone Star-type cards at ATM machines in casinos, strip clubs and liquor stores. The Senate took this out. -The House bill cuts off unemployment and food stamps payments to millionaires. The Senate took this out. -The House bill requires people to produce a Social Security number before receiving a refundable child tax credit. The Senate took this out. -The House bill protects doctors from a 27 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement payments for two years. The Senate only protects them for two months."